The well-developed transport and tourist infrastructure makes travelling around Mallorca easy. If you want to make the most of exploring the island and not be satisfied with just one resort to spend your entire holiday in, then renting a car is definitely worth it.
But even if you don't want to use car rental services, there is a relatively wide network of bus routes, although they won't take you to the more remote beaches, including the most famous ones.
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Car rental
Mallorca's spread of beaches and sights and the high quality of its roads make renting a car a must if you're coming for more than a weekend. There are dozens of car rental companies in Mallorca, ranging from large multinationals to smaller local ones. It is the smaller car rental companies that often offer better prices at first glance, but in many cases their behaviour cannot be described as reputable, see details below.
Most travellers rent a car directly at Mallorca Airport, where there is an entire building across from the terminal dedicated to car rental. Plus, the airport is outside the city and right on the motorway, so getting there is quick and easy.
As the information on travelling by car is extensive, we have compiled it into a separate chapter on car hire in Mallorca.
Rent a scooter
Many travellers are tempted to rent a motorbike or scooter rather than driving. In truth, however, Mallorca is not a very ideal place for scooters. The traffic is quite heavy, the distances are long and, above all, the prices of scooters exceed (often significantly) the prices of rental cars. For a regular scooter you'll pay from 30 eur per day in Mallorca without insurance.
There are fewer official scooter rental companies in Mallorca than car rental companies, and there is no comparison engine to rank all the offers.
Public transport
Mallorca has a decent public transport network, which includes the TIB intercity yellow-and-red buses, the city's blue-and-green-and-white EMT buses in Palma, a special airport express bus service, two metro lines in Palma, three intercity train routes and a historic tram train from Palma to Sóller.
An inconvenience of the transport system in Mallorca is the fact that there is no convenient all-day or multi-day ticket or other concessionary cards.
Discounts and concessionary fares are only given to residents who live in Mallorca. You will therefore have to buy individual tickets for each journey.
The centre of public transport in Mallorca is Plaça d'Espanya in Palma (the station is also known as Estació Intermodal), where most intercity buses, trains, metro and many Palma public transport lines start.
Public transport in Palma de Mallorca
As the largest city in Mallorca, Palma has a fairly extensive public transport system. This is provided by blue-green-white EMT buses and also by 2 metro lines. However, the buses and metro are not interconnected and different tickets apply for each.
EMT buses
There are around 30 bus routes around the city, which take you to all the tourist sites and to the nearby resorts of El Arenal, Can Pastilla, Sant Augusti, Cala Major and Ses Illetes. The main lines run at intervals of 10-15 minutes from approximately 5:00 to 23:30.
Night transport is provided by 4 special night lines, but they only run around Palma and you can't get to the resorts or the airport with them.
Tickets can only be purchased from the driver, preferably in the exact amount. It also follows that you only ever board through the front door. All tickets are valid for one arbitrarily long journey on one bus (there are no transfer tickets, so if you change buses on the way, you must always buy a new ticket).
- One ride on a classic line (even outside Palma's borders): 2 eur
- A ride to/from the airport (lines A1, A2): 5 eur
- A ride to/from the port (line 1): 3 eur
- Cash only
For route maps, timetables, up-to-date information and ticket prices, visit the official website emtpalma.cat.
Metro Palma
The metro system in Palma has two short lines, the yellow (UIB) and the red (Marratxí). However, both tend to pass tourist destinations and as visitors to the island, you will only use them if you can find cheaper accommodation in the outskirts of Palma that happens to be close to a metro station.
A metro ticket costs 1,45 eur regardless of distance travelled and can be purchased at any station. Official information can be found at tib.org/en/web/ctm/metro.
Intercity transport
Transport between towns and to all the main resorts works well in Mallorca.
TIB buses
The most extensive intercity transport network is provided by the yellow and red TIB buses, which always have a three-digit line designation (100 to 525). The best way to pay for tickets is by card on the bus. Simply put your card to the fare tag when you get on and off the bus and the fare will be automatically charged according to the number of zones you have travelled. However, you must remember to swipe your card when you get off the bus, or you will automatically be charged the maximum amount.
For example, a one-way ticket from Palma to Sóller will cost 2,70 eur, and the maximum for the furthest reaches of Mallorca is 10 eur.
You can still buy paper tickets from the driver, but they are always more expensive than paying by card.
- Ticket prices by zone when paying by card
- Full list of bus routes and timetables
- Map of intercity connections
A special category is the special AeroTib airport express buses, which provide fast transport from the airport to the main resorts. They have a special more expensive fare, which is also only purchased from the driver. Detailed official information can be found on the tib.org website or on our Palma de Mallorca Airport information page.
Trains
The railway in Mallorca operates more as a supplement or does not feature on the routes to the tourist sites. Conventional trains run on three routes from Palma inland and never go to any of the seaside resorts. However, it is possible to take a short train ride and change to a bus at one of the transfer points and continue on.
Even with trains, fares are calculated according to the distance travelled. If you change from train to bus, a new ticket is always required. Tickets can be bought at the ticket office or ticket machine at the station, or from the conductor (as in the Czech Republic, however, only from a station where there is neither a ticket office nor a ticket machine).
Historic train and tram Sóller
A nice tourist attraction is the historic wooden train that connects Palma with the town of Sóller, where it is followed by the historic tram to the nearby Port de Sóller. The railway dates back to the late 20th century when construction began in 1911. Back then, the train was mainly used to transport oranges and lemons, but today it is mainly a tourist attraction.
It runs 2-4 times a day from Palma to Sóller depending on the season. A one-way ticket is available at 18 eur, a return ticket at 25 eur. In combination with the tram, a return ticket is available at 32 eur.
More information can be found in our mini-guide to Sóller and also on the official website trendesoller.com.
